Theater Review: 'Master Class' at Music Theatre of CT

Review by Naugatuck Patch Mayor Nancy Sasso Janis

Music Theatre of Connecticut opens their 38th MainStage season with “Master Class,” a 1995 play with music written by Terrence McNally. This play with incidental operatic music is a presentation of a fictional vocal master class by the opera singer Maria Callas near the time of her death under mysterious circumstances at the age of 53. The play was inspired by the legendary master classes that the diva gave at Julliard in the early seventies.

Director Kevin Connors writes that the play “marks a return to the dramatic arts with a story that captures both the grandeur and the vulnerability of one of the greatest opera singers of all time.” He adds that this is “not just a play; it’s an experience–a deep dive into the mind of a woman who, despite her towering achievements, was no stranger to the struggles of love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of artistic perfection.”

Irene Glezos offers a master class as she reprises the role of Callas on this stage. With a commanding stage presence and convincing take on the diva’s speaking voice, Glezos fully embodies her character, making her glamorous, caustic, larger-than-life, and often funny.

McNally works in many details of Callas’ life, including her younger ugly duckling years, the unforgiving press about her early performances, and her performances at La Scala.

Callas admits her fierce hatred of her rivals, a term that she insists was the newspaper’s word, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. The second act ends in a monologue about the sacrifices she made for her art.

Callas’ teaching style is often painfully caustic, capable of making the audience uncomfortable as we stand in for the students observing this master class. It becomes clear that the singer was intensely dedicated to the genre of opera as she shares her passion with her students.

I find it interesting that the script requires that the actor who plays Callas must also take on the roles of two of the men in her life. In separate, brief conversations, she interacts with her husband, industrialist Giovanni Battista Meneghini, and her lover Aristotle Onassis. The affair led to her separation from husband and frequently overshadowed her artistic accomplishments. Glezos pulls it off, showing a more vulnerable side of Callas.

Zachary Anderson portrays the accompanist provided by the school, Emmanuel “Manny” Weinstock. Anderson, an actor/musician based in New York City and Fairfield County, must play on the grand piano the challenging pieces that are performed by the vocalists, which he does perfectly, and then interact intermittently with the diva and the students.

Heidi Giberson portrays Sharon Graham, a talented second soprano, in a strapless navy gown in her MTC debut. Although the student does not sing during her first appearance, she gathers her courage to show off her pipes when she bravely returns. That she is able to continue singing as Lady Macbeth while the diva interjects criticism is a credit to her concentration. Emily Solo portrays Sophie De Palma, the young first soprano in the first act that Callas repeatedly stops at her first note.

It was a special treat for me to watch and listen to the performance of Constantine Pappas, in the role of the tenor named Anthony Candolino. Although I have seen the talented Pappas (“Harmony” on Broadway, “First Date” at Seven Angels Theatre) in many productions, I have never had the chance to hear him sing opera, in which he has many credits. His stellar vocal performance was a joy to experience and literally gave me chills.

Jim Schilling rounds out the Equity cast to appear in the small role of a stagehand that is charged with keeping up with the demands made by Callas.

Set in a recital hall in Manhattan in the 1970s, the scenic design by April M. Bartlett, assisted by Arielle Silbert, beautifully brings us to Callas’ classroom in the intimate MTC space. The lighting designed by RJ Romeo, who also designed the projections, is static for large swaths of the master class, but is broken up with stunning sections that accompany the haunting recollections of Callas’ life and career. Costume design by Diane Vanderkroef fits the period well.

"Master Class" continues through September 29 with performances on Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

The powerful “Master Class” is performed with a 15-minute intermission. MTC is located at 509 Westport Ave. in Norwalk.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the newspaper.